Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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262. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the body responsible for reviewing ASD pre-school children for future placement prior to leaving an ASD pre-school class (details supplied). [26816/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Early intervention classes are intended to provide early support for children with ASD before they start school. Following early intervention children will attend a mainstream class unless there is professional guidance that they require a special class.

The enrolment of a child to a school is a matter, in the first instance, for the parent of the child and the Board of Management of a school. However, many parents may need advice or assistance to support the transitioning of their child to primary school. Parents may consult with  teachers, HSE professionals, school principals and special Needs Organisers (SENOs). All schools have the contact details of their local SENO. Contact details are also available on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.

The NCSE website also contains a range of Information Booklets available for parents of children with special educational needs, which are written for parents to answer key questions they may have about the special educational needs of their child. These include guidelines on Starting School for Parents/Guardians of Children with Special Educational Needs.

A Collaborative Working framework has been developed by the Education and Health Working Group of the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People programme. The framework includes guidelines for the child’s pathway through key stages of transition in education which can be used by local teams to develop their joint working around transitions.

These guidelines are set out in flow-chart format and indicate necessary actions from the relevant professionals in health and education required to ensure adequate planning and coordination of the transition processes.

Health and education professionals and parents should analyse the events and actions with a view to identifying exactly who should be involved at each stage and with whom they should be working in partnership.

The guidelines are available at .

There are approximately 14,000 students with ASD in the school system:

- 63% are educated in mainstream classes,

- 23% are educated in special classes in mainstream primary and post-primary schools; and

- 14% are educated in special schools.

The Deputy will be aware that the NCSE, through its network of local SENOs, is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. Where children have significant care needs whereby they may need additional support to be able to attend school, the NCSE may make an allocation of SNA support to the school to assist that child.

While consideration of professional reports is an integral part of determining the extent of supports to be provided for pupils with special educational needs, responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils, rests with the NCSE.

The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014 which outlines the primary care needs which would be considered significant – and which might require SNA support. Approximately 69% of all students with ASD have access to SNA support.